The manager of the Artisanal Fishing Producers Organization Conil/La Atunara (OPP72), Nicolás Fernández, has stated that the ongoing conflict with Gibraltar and the boats from the region fishing in the waters of the Strait is an issue that "should have been resolved many years ago."
This is what the OPP72 representative has expressed, who has thanked the gesture made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who conveyed his "strong protest" to the United Kingdom regarding the "unjustifiable" presence of British vessels in Spanish waters around Gibraltar and the three "serious incidents" that occurred in connection with them during the month of August.
Fernández mentioned that these "warnings" are "necessary," although he pointed out that on Thursday, the Gibraltar authorities "once again pressured and coerced another vessel."
In this regard, he announced that on Friday, September 1st, they will have a meeting with the Mayor of La Línea, Juan Franco, a meeting about which they did not want to anticipate events or get ahead of what will be discussed and agreed upon in that meeting.
Last week, this sector demanded that the governments of Spain and Gibraltar sit down to establish the boundaries of the waters in which national boats can fish, given the repeated incidents occurring in that area.
"We will not stop fighting; we will continue to highlight that it is an abuse by the authorities of Gibraltar," Fernández stated at that time, warning that "either they sit down and take action, or they will have to deploy security forces and the army so that the fishermen can fish."